Now that summer is well underway I wanted to touch base on an everyday essential: Sunscreen. Sunscreen is an absolute must for me. I wear a sunscreen lotion on my face, lips, neck and ears every single day, even in the winter. If I am going to be outside for more than a few minutes, or if I am wearing a tank top or something bare I make sure to apply it to exposed areas. I wanted to share a few tried and tested favorites with you. These are all non-nano particle sunscreens, and have all been reviewed as a safe 1-2 rating on the EWG site.❤ Badger Unscented SPF 30- This was the EWG sunscreen review's top pick for 2010. Though it is no holds the number one spot, it is still one of the top ranked sunscreens. I like it since it only has a few ingredients and I know what each and every one is (without a dictionary!). Badger is great if you are going to be in and out of the water, since it is pretty thick and waterproof. To avoid that lovely corpse-like white hue, I rub blob of it between my hands to sort of warm it up before applying it. Also if you want to avoid the white cast I recommend applying in small areas- like one leg at a time, etc. I like this one for the lake though, since it does seem to stay on well in the water. Plus it is reef-safe! Always reapply it once you get out and towel off. I like the scent, it is light, and smells slightly nutty and natural. The only thing I dislike about it is it is rather oily, definitely not a light feel, so I typically use it only on the lake or when I'm going to get sweaty doing gardening or going for a run. It has not caused me to have breakouts, even when used on my face. It would be great for babies and children as well. A 2.9 ounce tube will set you back $15 from Whole Foods.
ingredients:
Active Sunscreen Ingredient: Non-Nano, Uncoated Zinc Oxide 18.75%
Other Sunscreen Ingredients: *Olea Europaea (Extra Virgin Olive) Oil, *Cera Alba (Beeswax), *Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, *Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, *Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), and CO2 Extracts of *Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn). * = Certified Organic
❤ Goddess Garden Natural Sunscreen SPF 30- this is a great everyday around town block. This is the one that I used every day in Texas. I had to wear something all day everyday there, since the sun was so intense. I love this one since it is light, non-greasy and 82% organic. It is water resistant, and I did swim with it on while I was down there with no problems, but I think I prefer the Badger for serious water sports. It has a light lavender scent and goes on easily and is fairly sheer as long as you don't use too much. I would caution applying too much in one area though. It has a unique consistency and when you use to much it sort of balls up and peels off, if that makes sense. This sunscreen has a pretty good rating on the EWG site, though it is a little lower in UVA coverage than the Badger, but since I will wear this one on a daily basis, I figure it outweighs the lesser coverage. Since I would probably forgo sunscreen at all if I had to use the oily stuff. They make a baby sunscreen that has excellent ratings across the board, so be sure to try that one out too! It is a big bottle 6 oz, and I paid $15 on sale for it at my local co-op.
ingredients:
Zinc Oxide . . . . . . . 6.0% Sunscreen
Titanium Dioxide . . 6.0% Sunscreen
Titanium Dioxide . . 6.0% Sunscreen
Other Ingredients: Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera Juice), Organic Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Caprylic Triglyceride, Lecithin, Organic Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Xanthan Gum, Vegetable Glycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf (Green Tea) Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Organic Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Essential Oil.
❤ Devita Daily Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30- This is what I use on my face and neck every day. I have to admit it is not super moisturizing. It is more of a gel-like moisturizer but I find it to be perfect under my makeup or with a bare face. It doesn't really smell and it is extremely light and non-comodegenic. So I think it would work well for a variety of skin types. I love that it has zinc oxide only, which is the gentlest of the physical sunscreen ingredients and the one that you will find in most of the baby products. Since it is micronized, it is completely non-white. This one is definitely a keeper! I bought mine on amazon, but you can find it at lots of natural or health food stores. It will cost you about $26 for 2.5 ounces. This one is labeled as being Vegan as well on the packaging.
ingredients:
Micronized Zinc oxide 19%. Inactive Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis (organic aloe vera gel), purified water, capric/caprylic triglcerides (from coconut oil), glycerin (vegetable), Hyaluronic acid (vegan source), glycerl stearate SE (derived from vegetable oil), stearic acid, lecithin phospholipid, tocopherol (Vit E), allantoin, vitis vinifera (grape) seed extract.
❤ Other sunscreens to check out.......
Caribbean Solutions- Super light, reef friendly. I really like the light, sheer texture of this one.
Mexitan Tropical Sands- Reef friendly and they have a high SPF option as well- I haven't ordered this one yet, but I would like to try the SPF 50 just to see if it is sheer or not.
Goddess Garden Sunscreen Spray- a much better option than those horrible aerosol sunscreens and easy to apply in those hard to reach areas. This one scores a little higher (a 3 I believe) on EWG scale since inhaling zinc oxide and titanium dioxide is a typically a no-no. But this has better and safer ingredients than any other spray sunscreen out there. Hint: Hold your breath while applying if you are truly concerned, but I still think this stuff is much better than using nothing. Case in point, if you are like my brother who is always out surfing in the lovely San Diego sun and not wanting to ask some other dude to rub sunscreen on him then this is a way better option than burning!
Peace Love and Beauty,
❤ Eco Belle Elle
